Joining the Wraith Legion
The wraith legion—ding!
The power of the Sealed Dragon Heart (No Attribute) has awakened!
With the power of the Dragon Heart (No Attribute), you can add the corresponding wraith to the legion.
Would you like to add this wraith to the legion?
“What the heck is this? I can add wraiths to the legion?” A system message suddenly popped up. It said the Dragon Heart’s ability had activated. All I did was come across something black where the monster had fallen. I’d been worried the creature might still be alive, but it looked like its soul had been extracted instead. So monsters have souls too, huh?
—Slither, slither…! A black will-o’-the-wisp still flickered at the spot where the monster had collapsed. I guess that translucent black spirit could be added to the wraith legion. How interesting. I thought the ability was only about commanding wraiths, but it turns out I can actually grow the army.
“It appears to be imbued with demonic energy.”
“Demonic energy?”
Sofia, standing beside me, muttered with a rather serious expression, as if she were facing something dangerous.
“Yes. It’s a conglomeration of multiple souls—a thought-form.”
“Ah, so it really is a soul after all.”
“Indeed. However, we cannot simply leave such an impure existence alone. I shall dispose of it cleanly, so please step back, Breeder.”
Sofia stepped forward, trembling, even though she had no strength left to use her powers. It looked like I’d have to handle this myself.
—Swish…!
“Lady Sofia? Just a moment.” I blocked her path as she tried to move forward to remove the demonic energy. If she lost face in front of the juniors again, her pride would hit rock bottom.
“…Breeder? What exactly are you doing right now? Please leave this to me.”
“Oppa?! Touching something like that is dangerous, desu-yong…!”
“Everyone, don’t worry. I have a plan.”
I calmed them with a smile and quietly muttered,
“…Add to legion.”
—Fwoooosh…!
The moment I gave the command and accepted, a brilliant light suddenly burst from the black demonic energy. Then…
「Nyororong……?」
“Huh? What? It actually turned into a wraith???”
The faintly flickering demonic energy suddenly transformed into a black nyo-ryong.
「Nyorong?」
It looked no different from an ordinary wraith—a translucent ghost draped in a blanket, with a cotton-ball-sized head floating in the air. But because it was born from demonic energy, it wore what looked like a black plastic bag over its head.
The wraith has been successfully added to the legion.
Wraiths that can be added to the legion: 2/9999
Whoa… What is this? I can add another 9,997 of them? This really is a “legion.” “Ah, and one of them must have come along when Derke’s Dragon Heart transferred earlier.”
I was still dazed—this was the first time something like this had happened. Absorbing dragon powers one by one? I couldn’t even imagine what would occur once all the Dragon Hearts sealed inside my body were unlocked.
“Oh my? Breeder? What exactly did you just do? Don’t tell me you used Derke’s Dragon Heart…?”
“Aah?! O-Oppa, how did you… make a wraith?!”
“Howawa……?”
It wasn’t just me who was surprised.
“Hm? Derke? Why are you so shocked? Isn’t this something you can normally do with your ability?”
“W-Well, yes, but…! I didn’t know it worked on monsters too, desu-yong—!”
“Really?”
“And I never thought you’d be able to use the ability so quickly, yap…!”
Derke stared at me from behind with a completely astonished face, as if asking how any of this was possible. Honestly, I was amazed too. A human possessing nine Dragon Hearts. The six already inside me were probably from the ancestors.
“…It seems the events of the past are still influencing the present.”
“Huh? Lady Sofia?”
“Breeder, I’ll explain on the way back to the dormitory. About the past of yours that I saw yesterday.”
Sofia brought it up at just the right moment. My curiosity grew even stronger at her serious expression.
“I was going to ask anyway… Can’t you tell me now?”
“No, we should head inside first.”
“What? Why? Is it something difficult to say in front of everyone?”
“No, while I am looking forward to the snacks you promised to make, more importantly…”
“More importantly?”
“Howatchoo—!”
A peculiar sneeze suddenly rang out.
“Huh? Lady Raylin?”
“…Sniff! I-If we’re done here, let’s go inside quickly! Even a Flame Dragon like me might catch a cold if I stay out in this cold any longer…?!”
Raylin, dressed in her thin traditional robes, shivered and hugged her shoulders. Sofia simply smiled silently at the sight. She was probably suggesting we go inside for Raylin’s sake.
‘This isn’t about elemental compatibility—it’s clearly a clothing problem…’
Though it was something I hadn’t expected at all, Raylin’s surprisingly vulnerable side made the tension drain out of me as well.
“Understood. Let’s all head inside then.”
“…I am not joking right now. We really did engage in combat with a monster!”
Sonya’s agitated voice leaked out from the watchtower of the observation post.
“Y-Yes… Ah, is that so? Then the proper report will be submitted tomorrow?”
Sonya held the magitech transceiver, her voice low and serious. She was currently reporting everything that had just happened to the academy. Since it was the weekend and all the professors were away, she had no choice but to report to Indrago, the eternal duty officer at the main building.
“Even so, telling us to clean it up ourselves and come down…? Is that really appropriate?”
Indrago had instructed them to handle the situation with discretion and return. Even though a monster had appeared on academy grounds—a serious incident—he claimed immediate action was difficult.
“…Phew. The personnel currently at the post? The ones present right now are…”
Before Sonya could report the personnel over the radio, she trailed off and glanced behind her, checking the intentions of the seniors who had been listening in.
—Nod, nod.
Sofia, who had been watching, nodded. It was fine to report their names. Raylin, on the other hand, merely shrugged as if she wasn’t particularly pleased with the situation.
“Reporting the current personnel. Second-year Sonya and Eros, along with fourth-year…”
The radio transmission continued for a while afterward for a more detailed situation report. Since the professors weren’t around, it couldn’t be helped. Indrago had no choice but to grill them thoroughly to record today’s events in writing.
—Click!
“…Haa, report complete.”
After several dozen minutes, Sonya set the transceiver down with a drained expression.
“Good work, Sonya. You did well.”
“Not bad for your first shift. Let’s go on duty together again from now on!”
Sofia and Raylin encouraged her, patting her shoulders. They were impressed that she had smoothly finished the report even without a senior partner.
“Not at all. It’s only natural for the person on duty to handle it.”
“Hoo~ I like that polite attitude of yours. Even though we’re polar opposites, you might make a decent assistant gunner for the Demon-Slaying Cannon.”
“Hmph…! More importantly, seniors? You got dragged into today’s incident because of me. Are you really okay with that? Why did you decide to report your names earlier?”
Sonya quickly changed the subject after Raylin’s assistant-gunner comment. Of course she wanted to avoid trouble, but she couldn’t understand the seniors’ reaction. Why had they chosen to include their own names in the report?
“Sonya, listen carefully. Regardless of anything else, matters involving monsters must be properly addressed by the academy. Especially when a monster has invaded Valkyrie Island… This is the first time something like this has happened since the academy was founded.”
“That may be true, but… wouldn’t a problem this serious just cause more hassle for you?”
“Howawa? You’re still only a second-year, so you don’t understand. These things need to be reported properly. That way the professors won’t raise as much hell later.”
Raylin answered in Sofia’s place. It was the best possible choice under the circumstances. Of course, if it had been a minor incident, they would have brushed it off.
“Besides, the traces of battle left outside… Just looking at them, anyone can tell exactly who intervened.”
“Ah… Now that you mention it, I understand.”
“Hehe, Sonya? And more than anything, we resolved the incident properly, didn’t we?”
“That’s right! And if we handle this well, it could be an opportunity to get special leave~?”
“Eek, i-is that really true—?!”
When Raylin added the word “leave,” Sonya’s eyes widened.
“Yeah. For second-years, your handling of the situation was excellent. There will definitely be a reward afterward.”
Sofia smiled kindly and praised Sonya’s efforts.
“Waaah… L-Leave…?”
Sonya, who was always so polite in front of her seniors, couldn’t control her expression at the mention of leave. It made sense—after all, it was a rare chance to escape the long, tedious academy life, even if only briefly.
“By the way, Sonya?”
“Yes? Did you call for me, Lady Sofia?!”
“When you have the meeting with the professors later, could you leave Breeder’s name out of today’s report?”
“Pardon? May I ask why?”
“It’s for your sake. If they find out you brought Breeder, who is only a servant, to your duty post without permission, you might end up getting disciplined instead.”
“Lady Sofia is right. And knowing the professors’ personalities, they’ll probably lump the white puppy in with you and punish him just for being human.”
“R-Really…? But I already told them everything when I reported earlier…”
Sonya looked dejected at the sudden mention of discipline.
“Sonya? Don’t worry too much. The person who received the transmission just now was the academic affairs chief, right?”
“Yes…! Indrago received it!”
“Then don’t worry. We’ll take care of it once we get back.”
“I-I’m truly grateful, seniors…!”
“Hehe, we’re doing it for Breeder, so there’s no need to thank us.”
Sonya bowed deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle in gratitude for Sofia’s gracious handling of the situation. Sofia merely waved her hand lightly with a soft laugh.
“…By the way, I wonder if my Breeder is still not here yet?”
“Howawat? Senior? Don’t you smell that?”
“Huh? Suddenly mentioning a smell? Haat, i-it’s true… There’s definitely something warm and subtle in the air…?”
While they were discussing Breeder, a delicious aroma stimulated everyone’s sense of smell. It was a richer, sweeter scent than bread.
“—Ladies? Everything’s ready! Please come down and try some!”
And right on cue, Breeder’s voice called up from the kitchen below, sounding quite excited, as if he had created a masterpiece.